When President Kim was named to lead Dartmouth back in 2009, I was surprised but enthused to hear that someone so notable and intelligent would be at the helm of an institution that I was considering. His credentials made the College's decision seem shrewd and enlightened, if unorthodox, while his commitment to training "an army of leaders to engage with the problems of the world" seemed admirable and unshakable.
I'll be the first to admit that President Kim is an inspiring figure. I have vivid memories from his speech during matriculation at the start of my freshman fall. As he often does, Kim invoked the words of former College President John Sloan Dickey, encouraging us to make the world's troubles our own. But oddly enough, Kim has largely failed to make our campus troubles his own. His administration's lack of connection with the student body and the associated public relations fiascos have been well-documented in the pages of this paper, from the restructuring of our meal plan to the inexcusably slow response to the homophobic vandalism in Fahey-McLane Hall last fall to its misguided and inadequate handling of the hazing allegations leveled against Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
There are numerous potential explanations for the clear disconnect between Parkhurst and the students, including Kim's lack of an explicit link to Dartmouth, his apparent use of the College as a stepping stone to bigger and better things and the fact that his first task as president was to save the College from financial ruin. Indeed, most college presidents aren't bound to understand campus dynamics on such a profound level, much less to restructure the institution's entire budget within their first year in office. Perhaps we judge Kim too harshly various complications have made it difficult for him to transition into the role for which he was hired and find his place in our community. At the same time, given his general failure to seek a more concrete understanding of the student body, there isn't much indication that such a transition would have been forthcoming.
However, what matters above all else are the lessons that we can take from the ashes of Kim's presidency. Yet again, Dartmouth is the exception to the rule. The small size and undergraduate focus of the College makes the management of Dartmouth a unique beast, demanding great attention to micro level, campus-centric issues like diversity and the flexibility to deal with such challenges as they arise. To successfully lead our college, a president must be more than just a flashy, money-raising figurehead our leader must be invested in all parts of our community and thirsty to learn its nuances. It is no coincidence that the College's most highly regarded and successful leaders either have been alumni or spent years in Hanover prior to becoming president. This is not to say that Dartmouth should be so insular and narrow-minded in selecting its leaders, but the Jim Yong Kim experiment should certainly serve as a cautionary tale.
Kim's nomination is opportune to the extent that it places him in a role that makes more sense given his credentials while allowing him to leave a place where he is unpopular before he becomes embroiled in further controversy. The burden of responsibility now falls on the Board of Trustees to decide on Kim's successor with greater prudence and foresight. Rather than selecting another high-profile candidate with dubious managerial qualifications, the trustees must choose someone who will be sensitive to our unique, if unusual, social dynamics and concerned with improving not just the bottom line but rather all facets of Dartmouth life.
Furthermore, the hazing charges leveled against SAE have placed our campus in an even more precarious situation, making this ensuing leadership succession that much more delicate and crucial. Whoever succeeds President Kim must balance enacting appropriate reforms with preventing a Duke lacrosse-type scandal that needlessly obliterates students' futures. What Dartmouth needs right now is a leader who can heal, lest our hallowed community be torn further asunder.
